Simplicity
by a dreamer's attic
Summary: A returned Edward spends time in the Colonel's office, buried in papers that Roy has yet to see. As the two work quietly, Edward at Riza's desk, Roy at his own. Suddenly Edward stops writing and comes to a realization. fma does not belong to me !Hiatus!


Alright, this is something that has been running through my head-and notebook- for awhile now, I have **no idea** how to answer the question at the end...So I am asking for you, the readers help. Seriously any help would be passionately celebrated.

This is set...I actually do not know. I suppose the end of the series, but Edward came back and the movie never happened, and Roy is still a Colonel...I don't think he even lost his eye...reading it over I'm not seeing an eye patch in my head ,> also...Edward is...not completely ok anymore, like most of my Edwards...in fact It is my firm belief that he may be slightly insane so just a forewarning there.

* * *

"I could simplify it." Edward eyes were wide with understanding, his words whispered with a voice raspy from little use in the day

The sudden words, quiet though they were, made Roy Mustang snap to attention, "simplify what?"

Edward's fingers twitched as he held his hands near his face "everything. I see now, the ultimate form of Alchemy" He turned abruptly toward the ebony haired man and moved up to his desk and leaned himself toward the surprised man "a way to turn water into wine, fire into wood" Roy forced himself to not shiver at the younger man's fierce eyes and unnatural grin "to make the Philosopher's stone obsolete"

"that's not possible"

"no, no, it is. It's so simple! I can't believe it wasn't thought of before!" He ran back to Riza's desk, which he had been using, and began scribbling down things "look, look"

Roy walked up beside the blonde and looked at the numerous papers littering the desk's surface

Edward scribbled more down before marking it out "look, Alchemy is based on using similar elements to transmute one thing into another. Because of this we can only do things that involve similar elements for perfect exchange. But we're thinking too small, or should I say...too big! There's more to things than elements..." He turned suddenly to Roy so that they were face, to...er forehead to chin. Roy felt uncomfortable at his sudden loss of personal space; Edward was so close he could feel the boy's breath on the neck.

"What does everything have in common"  
Roy blinked "what"

"Think. What does everything have in common, regardless of what it is? What makes up everything? Humans, plants air?! What is the base Roy?"

Something clicked, "no...you don't mean"

Edward grinned again, moving even closer to the Flame Alchemist, their bodies now touching "yes? What do I mean?"

"Atoms." Roy breathed the word out, eyes widening as he was further backed into the desk by Fullmetal

"right. Right! Atoms, the simplest base of all! If we think in terms of, not elements, but atoms..." He was breathing heavily, "god Roy, we could do anything. We could bypass what were considered laws!" it was almost whispered

"It can't possibly work, someone surely would have tried..." the black eyed man spoke, his interest and even excitement leaking through

"yeah, actually. A few have but, they failed because they tried to rely on making circles and arrays. Which undermined the whole operation" Edward moved swiftly back to the papers and research

"But you don't need an array. You already bypass it, so you're not tethered to the common linguistics of Alchemy" Roy didn't even try to hide his interest now as he moved behind Edward, in order to get a better look at all on the desk.

Ed snorted "yeah, I guess having the whole truth stuffed into my brain helps there..."

"Whole truth?" Roy knew it must have something with the Grate Edward and his brother occasionally mentioned

"yeah, my so-called-gift from the gate for my infringement on forbidden grounds. Every bit of existence and all for the price of your soul" he so spoke bitterly that Roy placed a hand sympathetically on his shoulder

Surprisingly, the younger man didn't shrug it off, and Roy found himself not wanting to remove it

"but that's beside the point. Which is that we now have a clue to being able to use alchemy like no other!"

Roy leaned in further, moving him head over Edward's shoulder in order to see the papers more clearly Had anyone been in the room with them they would have seen nearly twin expressions of thought on the two alchemists, one slightly more arrogant, one slightly crazed, but similar

"Where do we go from here?"


End file.
